Colorful Salt mine near Yekaterinburg

Colorful salt mine located near Yekaterinburg, Russia

Colorful Salt mine near Yekaterinburg, Russia, is probably the most psychedelic and most beautiful cave in the world. It seems that these patterns have some extraterrestrial origin, but in fact, this amazing and colorful salt cave was created by mother Nature itself. The walls of the abandoned salt mine are covered with psychedelic patterns, “painted” layers of carnallite – a mineral used in the manufacture of fertilizers. It usually has a yellow, white or reddish tinge, but sometimes there’s even blue or colorless carnallite. Several mines excavating this mineral continue to function, but most of the corridors and passageways are now closed, and you can get there only by special government permission. These pictures were taken by 29-year-old photographer Mikhail Mishaynik, who spent in the amazing cave more than 20 hours, studying the labyrinths.

Colorful salt mine located near Yekaterinburg, Russia

“Mines are huge and stretch underground for many kilometers. One tunnel can reach more than 6 km long, “- says the photographer. “It’s hard to describe how you feel when you are at the bottom. Underground you lose all sense of time, and the air is very dry, and you feel very thirsty.”